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Introduction to Scientific
Research
Introduction to Scientific
Research
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C H A P T E R
Introduction to Scientific Research
Traditional Methods of
Acquiring Knowledge
Science
Pseudoscience
Assumptions
Characteristics
Role of
Theory
Role of
Scientist
Objectives
Uniformity
Reality
Discoverability
Intuition
Authority
Rationalisim
Empiricism
Control
Operationalism
Replication
Logic of
Discovery
Logic of
Justification
Curiosity
Patience
Objectivity
Change
Describe
Explain
Predict
Control
On July 5, 1998, the
Los Angeles Daily News
ran an article under the headline
“Handwriting Analyst Reads Human Nature.”In this article, Sheila Lowe, a handwriting
analyst for 31 years, stated that “you are what you write.”According to Ms. Lowe,
handwriting always tells the truth because it is a projective behavior that reflects all
the experiences of a person’s life. Lowe has gained considerable attention for her
comments to the media on criminal and civil trials such as the O. J. Simpson trial
and the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. She has even appeared on NBC’s
Unsolved
Part I
Introduction
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Introduction
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Mysteries.
She states that when she analyzes handwriting, she tries to focus on
small details, such as how Ts are crossed, as well as the larger picture, such as the
arrangement and balance on the page and whether anything stands out. From
a handwriting analysis of individuals such as former
president Bill Clinton and
Elvis Presley, she drew the following conclusions.“Bill Clinton is a combination of
strength and flexibility. He can stand firm and build a consensus.”Elvis Presley’s
handwriting indicated that he was in ill-health and depressed.
Is there anything to handwriting analysis? Are you what you write, as claimed
by Ms. Lowe? It would be wonderful if we could tell what a person was like just
from analyzing a sample of an individual’s handwriting.There are, however, many
skeptics of handwriting analysis. Handwriting analysis has
typically been criticized
by scientists as something akin to fortune-telling and palm reading. In spite of
this, some individuals and companies are turning to individuals such as Ms. Lowe
to assist them in identifying desirable employees and in providing guidance in
child rearing. Law enforcement agencies have employed her to assist in background
investigations, as have individuals involved in romantic entanglements. Ms. Lowe
has even sold a computer program that analyzes handwriting because of the
demand for her services.
There seems to be little question that there is
an interest in handwriting
analysis. The important question is whether handwriting analysis really does
provide a window into the personality of an individual. Obviously many individuals
think it does because they use it in making some very important decisions. But how
do we know for sure? In order to determine if handwriting analysis can provide an
accurate and reliable assessment of personality, we must conduct a scientific study.
You might wonder how something that seems as subjective as
handwriting analysis
can be scientifically investigated. Many people do not understand the nature of
a scientific investigation or the need to conduct such an investigation in situations
like this. This lack of understanding might be because scientists are often conceptu-
alized as people in white coats who work in a laboratory, conducting
experiments
on complex theories that are far beyond the comprehension of the average person.
Actually studying the validity of something like handwriting analysis seems very
mysterious. This is probably because the actual process by which scientists uncover
the mysteries of the universe eludes many people. It is as if the research process
were encompassed in a shroud of secrecy and could be revealed only to the
scientist. Research, however, is not a mysterious phenomenon! Rather, it is a very
logical, creative, and rigorous set of methods for
obtaining facts and making
warranted generalizations.
